If you like big resorts, theme parks and places like
Orlando and Las Vegas for your vacation, then you are probably going to like
Royal Caribbean. The ships are resort destinations in their own right.
I am Gary Bembridge, and this is my Royal Caribbean Tips For Travellers.
At time of recording, their fleet has 28 ships in service or under construction, and includes most
of the world’s largest cruise ships. In fact, 4 of the top five biggest are Royal Caribbean ships.
They have ships ranging from the older Radiance Class, like Radiance of the Seas,
carrying in their terms, a cosy 2,100 guests,
up to the Quantum Ultra class that can carry 6,680 guests, such as the Symphony Of The Seas.
Over recent years their focus is ruthlessly on bigger is better. They pack these ships
with resort-like attractions, grand features and extravagant entertainment. Of course,
the bigger the ship the more of these you’ll find on board.
Many of the ships are so vast that they have a huge open-air atrium
running through the middle of the ship. In here they have a park, called Central Park,
with thousands of plants and trees. Cabins face into this area. So,
on these ships you can have cabins that face out to the sea or inward into this area.
The five most notable resort features you need to know about are:
Firstly, they serve up spectacular entertainment shows. In the main theatre you can see big
tailor-made production shows with large casts, acrobatics and
effects, such as the “Flight” telling the history of flight. You’ll also find full-length and
well-known Broadway and West End shows which include “Hairspray”, “Cats", and “Chicago”.
Secondly, they have a large ice rink which hosts dramatic ice shows, featuring ace skaters
including Olympians. These are family friendly and along lines of “Disney On Ice” type spectaculars.
Thirdly, on the largest ships is the remarkable Aqua Theatre where divers and acrobats perform
heart-stopping shows, including massive dives into the pool below.
Fourthly, they have dramatic water parks
and slides. Many cruise lines have waterparks these days, but Royal Caribbean focus on
having things like the Tallest Slides At Sea, called the Ultimate Abyss that is 10-decks high.
One of best-known and popular Royal Caribbean water activities
is the Flow Rider, where you can try to ride waves on a surf board. I discovered
I definitely could not, despite many tries. They also have large pools.
Fifthly, on some of the Quantum Class ships they have the “North Star”, which is a glass-enclosed
bubble attached to a vast long crane arm that takes passengers 300 feet above the ocean.
These attractions and entertainment events are included in your fare.
As you would expect from any resort, there is a vast range of bars and dining venues, with many
speciality dining options that have additional charges ranging from $35 to $50 per person.
These vary slightly based on the ship, but there can be up to 20 and
include Izumi (Japanese sushi), Wonderland (Experiential and unusual), Jamie’s Italian from
the UK Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver, Giovanni’s Table (Italian also), Teppanyaki (Japanese),
Johnny Rockets American diner, Chops Grille Steakhouse, Hooked Seafood and other restaurants
based on regions of the world. Many ships also have a Starbucks, which I always appreciate.
Eating in the main dining room and the Windjammer buffet are included in your fare.
Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line catering for people that love a resort type
vacation. And you can - as with resorts on land - travel with them at a vast range of prices.
You can find competitive low fares for smaller inside and ocean view cabins,
but you can also cruise in a glitzy and vast suite that will cost up to $80,000 a week.
It’s informal and relaxed, with no strict dress code. They do have casual,
smart casual and even formal nights, but these are more suggested than enforced. They say
“ you can dress casual with jeans, polos, and blouses for
our restaurants” but do encourage people to dress up more, but it’s really up to you.
The line attracts a lot of families, not surprisingly with all those features and large
Kids’ Clubs. It is also a popular choice for multi-generational and extended families,
as there are lots of cabin and cost permutations to suit the varying needs of those groups.
You’ll also find younger couples that like lots of entertainment,
things to do, bars and dining on board.
They are less good, in my view, for solo travellers as (despite their ship sizes)
they do not have many solo cabin options across the fleet,
unlike their competitor Norwegian Cruise LIne that has the solo cabins areas on many ships.
So, travelling often means larger surcharges for single occupancy.
As I’ve already mentioned, there is a huge range of cabins on their ships from inside,
ocean view, balcony and suites.
They also have a good range of family cabins and accessible cabins across those classes.
One of the innovations they introduced are “virtual cabin windows” in many of the inside
cabins. These show video images of outside, which does help make them feel less closed in.
The choice is wide and quite complex, so you may want to use an agent that knows the ships
to help choose the right one for you.
While the other cruise groups have private islands in the Caribbean,
the most spectacular in terms of a resort is Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
They actually have two private islands, CocoCay in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti.
They spent a reported $250 million developing the features on Perfect Day, such as a 135-foot-tall
waterslide and a 1,600-foot-long zip-line course. There are also restaurants,
cabanas, and an infinity pool. It opened in 2019, and they incorporate a stop there on
many of their Caribbean cruises out of Florida. It’s definitely the most spectacular of all the
cruise line private islands. Catering for that resort-loving traveller they attract for sure.
Royal Caribbean do operate across many areas of the world,
but they tend to focus mostly on the three most popular cruising regions: Caribbean, Mediterranean
and Alaska. Their ports of call tend to be the big popular ones,
as they are (of course) limited in where they can call due to the size of their ships.
In regions they operate in, they usually sail out of a range of local ports making access
easier for many. For example, they sail Caribbean and Northern America itineraries
out of Baltimore, Boston, New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale,
Galveston, Los Angeles, Miami, Port Canaveral, Seattle and Tampa.
In the Mediterranean they will sail out of Southampton
in the UK, Barcelona Spain and Ravenna (a port near Venice),
Civitavecchia (the closest port to Rome) and Copenhagen and Stockholm for Baltic cruises.
So, Royal Caribbean is worth looking at if you want to cruise the most popular cruising regions,
visit the major and well-trodden ports and are looking for an
embarkation port close to where you live.